The present invention relates to an electronic component supply device wherein electronic components, held within cavities formed in a carrier tape, are removed while a top tape covering the surface of the carrier tape is peeled away.
A conventional electronic component supply device is described with reference to FIGS. 5 through 7. As shown in FIG. 6, electronic components 3 are held within cavities 2 formed in a carrier tape 1; the surface of the carrier tape 1 is covered with a removable top tape 5 to prevent the electronic components 3 from jumping out of the cavities.
The carrier tape 1 accommodating the electronic components 3 is wound on a reel 7 which is installed on the base end portion of the electronic component supply device 6 as shown in FIG. 5. The carrier tape is drawn out from the reel 7 and transferred by a tape feed wheel 9 that is linked to the reciprocating action of a feed lever 8 and rotates intermittently in one direction. The carrier tape 1 is transferred while being pressed by a tape pressing member 10 against the tape transfer surface 11 in the distal end of the electronic component supply device 6 as shown in FIG. 6.
As the carrier tape 1 is transferred at a prescribed pitch by the tape feed wheel 9, the top tape 5 is separated therefrom by a peeling portion 12 comprising a peel-away cutout portion 117 formed in the tape pressing member 10 and is drawn at an angle backwards (in the direction of arrow B). Thereafter, the electronic components 3 are removed by a suction nozzle 13.
The top tape 5, which is peeled away and drawn at an angle backwards, is wound onto a take-up cap 15, mounted on a take-up ratchet 14 which can be rotated in only one direction by the reciprocating action of the feed lever 8.
However, with the above-described conventional constitution, there is a risk that the top tape 5 will enter between the portion of the tape pressing member 10 and the carrier tape 1 at a point downstream of the peeling portion 12 in the tape transfer direction, as shown in FIG. 7, depending on the relationship between the width W of the peel-away cutout portion 117 in the peeling portion 12, the adhesive strength of the top tape 5 and carrier tape 1, the amount of rotation and rotary speed of the tape feed wheel 9, and the winding force by the receiving ratchet 14.
The problem is therefore that the top tape 5 may cover the cavities 2 at the position where the suction nozzle 13 removes the electronic components 3, resulting in problems in taking out the electronic components 3.